The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Leucanthemum commonly known as Shasta daisy, which is grown as an ornamental plant for use in the garden and landscape. The new cultivar is known botanically as Leucanthemum×superbum and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘REAL GALAXY’. Leucanthemum is a genus within the family Asteraceae in which the commonly referred to “flower” is botanically the inflorescence which is comprised of outer showy ray flowers surrounding smaller disc florets.
‘REAL GALAXY’ arose and was selected from an ongoing breeding program which is conducted by the inventors at the inventors' nursery in West Sussex, United Kingdom. The breeding program commenced in 2006 with the aim of developing new and improved commercial varieties of Leucanthemum. Each year's breeding cycle consists of controlled pollination between chosen male and female parents including unnamed and unreleased seedlings retained from previous breeding cycles. Seed from each year's cycle is harvested and sown in the fall, and new seedlings are raised and evaluated in the following summer.
‘REAL GALAXY’ is a seedling selection that resulted from the controlled pollination of a single plant of Leucanthemum ‘Leukal 01’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,204) as female parent, using pollen from a single plant of an unnamed and unreleased Leucanthemum seedling known to the inventors as ‘L007’ (unpatented) as male parent. The inventors selected ‘REAL GALAXY’ based on the criteria of vigor, formal flowers with many petals and strong stems. ‘REAL GALAXY’ is distinguishable from the female parent by the color of its ray flowers. Whereas ‘Leukal 01’ exhibits light cream-yellow ray flowers, the ray flowers of ‘REAL GALAXY’ are predominantly white with yellow “tips” (petal apices). ‘REAL GALAXY’ is distinguishable from the male parent by greater plant vigor and by greater number of ray flowers per inflorescence. In addition, the ray flowers of ‘REAL GALAXY’ are arranged in a more formal manner then either of its parents.
The variety of Leucanthemum which the inventor considers to be closest in flower form and plant habit to ‘REAL GALAXY’ is the female parent variety, ‘Leukal 01’ with which ‘REAL GALAXY’ is compared above. In addition, the inventor has observed that plants of ‘REAL GALAXY’ are typically later to come into bloom than plants of ‘Leukal 01’ grown under similar conditions. ‘REAL GALAXY’ blooms 10˜12 days later than ‘Leukal 01’. In addition to ‘Leukal 01’, ‘REAL GALAXY’ may be compared with other varieties of Leucanthemum which exhibit some degree of doubleness including Leucanthemum ‘Engelina’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,595) and Leucanthemum ‘Aglaia’ (not patented). Whereas the flowers of ‘Engelina’ and ‘Aglaia’ are fully double and almost globular, the flowers of ‘REAL GALAXY’ are distinctly formal in appearance being comprised of ray petals of mostly equal length and arranged in layers.
‘REAL GALAXY’ was first asexually propagated by the inventors in West Sussex, United Kingdom using the method of basal shoot cuttings. Since that time under careful observation ‘REAL GALAXY’ has been determined uniform, stable and true to type in subsequent generations of asexual propagation.